"Oh, so this time you return to your hometown, are you going back to Qingzhou?"
Xie Luchan first saw an unknown young master coming in with a housekeeper. She thought he was a guest who heard the name of his painting. When they exchanged names, she couldn't help but be overjoyed. Seeing her sister growing up, her in-laws were missing.
I don't know, but as an older brother, he was very anxious.
He stubbornly believed that since the marriage contract was in place, the sister was his wife. He must not betray and remarry, which would ruin the family tradition. But if the in-laws could not be found, wouldn't the sister have to watch over the widowed family? So in the past few years, he always
Every three to five months, he would go to Moling Town to inquire about the news, but there was still no whereabouts of the other party. This matter became a worry for him. Unexpectedly, the other party finally came to his door today.
After hurriedly seeing off a few friends, Xie Luchan welcomed her sister-in-law into the room, prepared some fragrant tea and listened to him detailing his experiences over the years. Knowing that his family was now well off and he had gained fame, he felt happy for himself.
After taking a closer look at this sister-in-law, I found that I liked everything about his conversation, temperament, appearance, and I was even more happy for my sister.
Just thinking that after the two got married, his younger sister, who had been dependent on him for many years, might return to Qingzhou with his sister-in-law. Xie Luchan felt really reluctant to leave, so she asked this question. Xia Xun said: "I don't plan to return home this time.
I’m going back to Qingzhou and settling down in my hometown.”
Xie Luchan said happily: "That's good, that's good. After leaving my hometown for more than ten years, all the foundations have to be built from scratch. I wonder what my sister-in-law plans to do for a living in the future?"
Xia Xun said: "Well, before returning to my hometown, my younger brother has moved all his family's wealth to Jinling, and now he has lent it to some reputable businesses to make a profit. Now that I have returned, I plan to buy a few acres of good paddy fields in my hometown.
In addition, the several acres of farmland that had been abandoned when I left my hometown need to be stabilized first and the details need to be considered slowly."
Xie Luchan kept nodding: "Okay, okay, but studying and becoming an official is the right way. My sister-in-law has passed the college entrance examination, so we must not give up on studying, and we must study hard. Now that you have just returned home, you need to renovate the old building."
I am at home, and I have to arrange a wedding, so I may not be able to take care of it for a while, but next year, I must try to continue taking the exams, and at least I will be selected as a candidate."
Xia Xun thought to himself: "Jiu Ren? With my knowledge, I will have to wear a robe if I take the exam again." But he kept saying yes.
Xie Luchan was very satisfied with her sister-in-law and understood everything she needed to know, so she asked, "So, when will my sister-in-law plan to marry Xie Xie?"
Xia Xun was startled for a moment, and then he realized that this was the nickname of the girl Xie Luti. He must have been used to it, so he unconsciously called her by her nickname. Until now, he had not seen her yet.
When I saw my bride, I just looked at my brother's appearance, and my sister's appearance should not be much different. The risk of me winning the top prize was not very great, so I relaxed and said: "My little brother just came back.
The ancestral house is still being rebuilt. It is estimated that it will take half a month to complete the big house, and it will be a month before it can be moved in. It will take three months at the fastest to complete the entire house and courtyard, and then there are still things to do.
Planning for the wedding will take place in mid-August."
Xie Luchan said: "Well, let's tentatively schedule it for the Mid-Autumn Festival in August. The full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the perfect time for a hundred years of harmony. My sister-in-law's parents are both dead. As for my family, thanks to me, I am the only eldest brother now.
Things have to be decided between you and me, what do you think?"
Xia Xun hadn't seen the unmarried woman yet, so he couldn't help but hesitate and said: "This... should we wait until my sister comes back and discuss it with her?"
Xie Luchan laughed and said: "Sister-in-law, my daughter-in-law has not yet married, and she is already henpecked? Haha, how can she, a girl, make the decision on her own marriage? Isn't that right? I said when, that is
When will it be, the two of us will agree. Thank you for always being well-behaved and listening to my elder brother's arrangements."
Xia Xun took the opportunity to ask: "Oh, your sister... doesn't seem to be at home?"
Xie Luchan said: "Yes, she is often not at home."
After saying this, Xie Luchan suddenly realized that something was wrong. This sentence could easily leave a bad impression on her sister-in-law, so she hurriedly explained: "Thank you for learning nvrou and cooking from Mrs. Nan in this alley."
, Qinqi, Aunt Nan is a widowed woman with only one daughter, and we are very good friends with her. We are addicted to painting on weekdays and have many friends. It is inconvenient for her daughter to live in the building.
, so I stayed at Nanda’s aunt’s house more than I did at my own home, and sometimes I would go to Nanda’s aunt’s house in the countryside with her, just like her own daughter.”
Just as he was talking, a clear and sweet voice came from the courtyard: "Brother, I'm back."
Xie Luchan was overjoyed and quickly stood up and said: "She's back."
"Everywhere inside and outside, men and women are in different groups. They don't peek outside the wall or go out of the outer court. They hide their faces when they go out, and they hide their forms when they peek. Men are not dependents and don't know each other's names." This is a passage in "The Analects of Women", but in reality
The above was not implemented thoroughly in feudal society. On the one hand, upper-class lady diplomacy was an actual communication need, so the higher the class, the less they cared about these minutiae.
Therefore, Confucius could meet Nanzi, Mrs. Anping Hou could secretly meet with the chief minister Chang Nian Nian, Emperor Guangwu could make his sister meet the courtiers, Cao Cao could introduce Cai Wenji, the daughter of his old friend, to all the guests, Ouyang Xiu could go up to the willow shoots in the moonlight and make appointments after dusk.
.
On the other hand, there are gentleman Confucianism, petty Confucianism, great Confucianism, and rotten Confucianism. Real Confucianists are very enlightened. They value the connotation of etiquette rather than its appearance. Therefore, the more ignorant and backward the place, the difference between men and women.
Fang Yue has reached a state of perversion. On the contrary, it is a big city and Fu, and the powerful officials and ministers do not have many rules.
Therefore, the customs of the Ming Dynasty were the same as those of the previous dynasties. Some people were clinging to the past and observing etiquette to an abnormal level. There were also some people who were dissolute and despised the secular customs and did not take it seriously at all. However, most people were not in these two categories.
Among these extremes, they are relatively normal human beings. What's more, the Ming Dynasty has not been established for a long time and has been influenced by the atmosphere of the Yuan Dynasty for a long time, so the requirements in this regard are not very strict.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang promulgated the "Edict on Correct Etiquette and Customs" and compiled the "Collection of Etiquette", advocating "righteousness", filial sons, obedient grandchildren, righteous husbands, and temperate wives. As the saying goes, he would advocate whatever was lacking in society. At that time,
Since the social etiquette system in China is not very strict, and Zhu Yuchan has always prided himself on being from an aristocratic family, imitating the etiquette and etiquette of the upper class in words and deeds, he certainly does not care too much about this.
Besides, the two families had already agreed on a wife, and it was already certain that his sister would become the man's wife. The two families had not heard from each other for many years. At this time, they finally found their brother-in-law, and let their beloved sister meet him.
On the one hand, she was happy and at ease, but she did not necessarily lose her etiquette. Therefore, Xie Luchan did not stop the two from meeting each other, but instead said loudly: "Thank you, come in quickly."
There was a sound of thin footsteps, and a pretty person walked in gracefully. A bunch of black hair was not tied up in a formal bun. It was slightly scattered but added a bit of elegance. A few strands hung down on the temples.
Against the background of black hair, her face was unusually pale, with thin red lips and fine beads of sweat on the tip of her delicate nose.
Wearing a lake green playful girl's outfit and a light red small-waisted skirt, she highlighted her exquisite and beautiful figure. Her naturally charming eyes, with some unconcealable horror, glanced at Xia Xun quickly, and then turned to
Her brother called out in a stiff voice: "Brother, do you have a guest?"
"Haha, not a guest, not a guest, no, no, our uncle from the Xie family can be considered a guest, and he is also a guest."
Xie Luchan laughed, dragged her stumped leg forward, and held her hand: "Thank you, he is Yang Xu, Yang Xu from Moling Town, your fiancé, hahaha, he is finally
I’m finally back.”
Xie Yufei glanced at Xia Xun and saw that he was dumbfounded with shock. Her heart sank, and a helpless smile escaped from the corner of her mouth: "Sure enough... I knew..."
Xia Xun was really stunned. He could hardly believe his eyes. This girl...she was actually Xie Luti? She was his fiancée?
Xia Xun's mind flashed quickly to the "tough girl" who lifted up her skirt at the door of the pawnshop in Pingyuan County, smiled coquettishly, and then kicked the pervert Gu Zhou so hard that he almost became a eunuch; he remembered that in Texas
Cheng used the chaos in the hall to set up Gu Zhou, the "nine-tailed fox" who would have been caught in the government if he hadn't reacted quickly; he remembered the graceful and calm way he passed by Xie Chuanzhong's house in Peking in the light snowflakes.
The "aunt"; I think of the "female spy" who was delicate and frail, went to Longtan alone, and deceived the confessions from the Mongolians...
Different pictures, different appearances, finally merged into the girl in front of me with a bit of fear, a bit of pleading, and a bit of nervousness in her eyes. This multi-faceted girl, this strange woman, is mine...
…Wife? My… God!
Even though Xia Xun's mind had been tempered many times and had become as tough as a steel wire, he suddenly realized that the wife he had guessed and imagined for a long time was actually Xie Yufei, whom he had already met in Peking, and he was temporarily fooled.
"She...she...she just wants to thank...thank you? Thank you...Luti?"
Xia Xun pointed at Xie Yufei, and his speech was a little unclear.
Xie Luchan suddenly felt that something was wrong. He looked at his sister's face as pale as paper, and then at the shocked expression on Xia Xun's face. He couldn't help but hesitate and said: "What, you... you have already met?"
"We...we..."
Xia Xun suddenly shut up when he said this. He suddenly thought, did her brother know what Xie Yufei was doing outside? Could the panic, nervousness and pleading in her eyes beg me not to reveal her identity?
Xia Xun was alert for a moment and immediately swallowed back the words "We met in Peking". However, his slight hesitation was reflected in the timid and extremely nervous Xie Yufei's eyes, but there was a completely different interpretation.
, she thought she had seen through Yang Xu's attitude, and she knew how to make her choice. She would not let Yang Xu have another chance to reveal her identity.
She took a deep breath, raised her long and elegant neck proudly, and raised her face coldly: "Is he Yang Xu? Brother, I will not marry this person!"
"ah?"
Xia Xun and Xie Luchan were stunned at the same time. Xie Luchan became anxious and asked: "Don't marry? Why don't you marry? Why don't you marry?"
Xie Yufei hurriedly gestured to the outside with her hands behind her back, briefly motioning to her partner Nan Feifei, then glanced at Xia Xun with a contemptuous look, and said impassionedly: "I don't know etiquette, justice and shame, and I don't know how to cultivate my moral character. It's a shame for him."
A scholar. Such a polite scum, dressed like a beast, how can a girl be entrusted with him for the rest of his life!"
Xia Xun immediately felt guilty: "Oh shit, didn't she know about Yang Xu's scandalous affair with the mother and daughter in Qingzhou? Oh my, my brother can't explain this!"